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Latest NewsWeek Beginning 29 November 1997 6 December 1997 Walter Smith is hoping Rangers can come through tomorrow's match with Hibs unscathed despite the absence of Laudrup and Gascoigne. He said, "we'll make a couple of changes but we're looking for another win after last week. It was important to beat St Johnstone after three draws on the trot. After Hibs we face difficult trips to Dunfermline and then Tynecastle and I'd like a win to set us up." Sergio Porrini faces a late fitness test tomorrow morning but Ally McCoist is fit. Barry Ferguson, Gordon Petric and Stephen Wright have all been added to the squad. Stuart McCall will replace Paul Gascoigne in midfield and Gordon Durie will replace Brian Laudrup up front. Seb Rozental will resume full training at Ibrox next week. He has been home in Chile for the past six weeks and has been training with his former club Universidad Cattolica. Walter Smith said, "Seb needs a couple of weeks training to finalise his fitness and we hope to have him playing after that. As for McCoist, if he is not a first team regular by the New Year we would consider letting him go on loan. But we'd only do that to ensure he gets a regular game to enhance his chances of being involved in the Scotland squad for the World Cup. Nothing will be done before the turn of the year, and only if Rozental is back fit." Staale Stensaas is confident that Norway can wreck Scotland's World Cup dream. He said, "I think we will beat Scotland because our results are so good. We have great players such as Olle Gunnar Solskjaer who isn't even guaranteed a starting place and we have all the experience of the last World Cup in the States. Although Norway beat Brazil in a friendly recently I still expect the South Americans to top the group. Then anything can happen between Norway and Scotland, with Morocco being a little bit behind." "I think my Ibrox team-mates would take me more seriously if I was actually in the Norwegian squad. The biggest factor in my favour is the lack of natural left backs. There is Liverpool's Stig Bjornebye but not really anyone else. I definitely hope to be there as it is the tournament everybody wants to be involved in. The Norwegian team has done really well over the last two or three years because every player is good offensively and offensively. Like Scotland we play as a team and it will make the game very difficult. I think my Rangers team-mate Gordon Durie could cause us some problems because he's been playing so well for Scotland recently."
Ally McCoist is being linked with a loan move to Birmingham. Boss Trevor Francis knows from his days at Ibrox what a potent striker McCoist can be and he is keen to sign up the striker to boost his sides' promotion hopes. Francis said, "Ally is a smashing lad who can still do the business. Walter Smith told me he hopes to have Seb Rozental back in the New Year and if that happens he would allow Ally to go." Gordon Durie came on as a sub at the beginning of the second half for the European side against a Rest of the World Select in Marseille yesterday. He was played on the left hand side of midfield and looked comfortable in such exalted company. Romania's Marius Lacatus put the European side one up in the first minute but two goals each from Ronaldo and Gabriel Batistuta and a fifth from Columbian Antony Da Villa gave the Rest of the World a 5-1 half time lead. Zenedine Zidane pulled one back for the Europeans on the hour mark but neither side scored in the last 30 minutes.
Durie said, "this is a once in a lifetime experience and one of the highlights of my career. It certainly ranks alongside playing at the World Cup in 1990. Ally McCoist phoned me as soon as he heard about my selection. His patter was along the lines of 'How do you go from being Rangers No 12 into an elite group like a European select?' Ally said there was no justice but I think he was a bit jealous. Being injured himself at such a time must have been a disappointment for him but I'm sure deep down he's delighted for me." I intend to make the most of what is a tremendous opportunity. It would be nice to do something special in the game, both for personal reasons and for Scotland. The whole thing is unbelievable really, especially with Franz Beckenbauer as coach of our team. It's a once in a lifetime chance. The gaffer felt I couldn't go because of Sunday's match with Hibs but when it became clear FIFA wanted a striker and no-one else was available he allowed me to go. I am looking forward to being on the park with so many superstars. It would be nice to nutmeg someone like Ronaldo but given my record of being nutmegged in training I would think he's favourite to win that contest." Walter Smith said, "the SFA had approached us about letting Gordon play and we were happy to oblige. He has not been playing a lot of games for us recently and this provides a good opportunity for him to get a run out in such esteemed company. We had no worries about his fitness. Our game with Hibs is not until Sunday." Craig Brown said, "I told Walter we were getting desperate and I asked if he could help us out. He was very happy to oblige and we are grateful to Rangers and Gordon for stepping in. Durie was desperate to play and I'm delighted we're represented. If Rangers had said no we would have been the only country out of the 32 finalists without a player in either squad."
Ally McCoist won't be joining Everton on loan. He is at present recovering from a hamstring injury which will sideline him for around four weeks. Walter Smith is anxious to hold on to the Scotland striker until Seb Rozental is back playing first team football. Everton boss Howard Kendall said, "I have been told that the player will be out for three or four weeks. I spoke to Walter Smith about McCoist's availability and he's also waiting for Rozental to get back from injury." Kendall had wanted McCoist as a replacement for Duncan Ferguson who starts a three match ban in the middle of the month so the deal looks dead. American soccer chiefs have sent two of their young defenders learn from Richard Gough at Ibrox. Ubasaka Abukusomo who plays for Columbus Crew and New England Revolution star Brian Dunseth are both spending three months in Scotland. Dunseth said, "the coaches of the national team thought spending some time in Scotland at the same club as Richard Gough would toughen us up. We both wanted to go to South America to work more on the technical side of the game. But I must admit the coaches were right, and we have already learned so much about attitude."
Walter Smith has again spoken to American goalkeeper Brad Friedel about moving to Ibrox after his proposed move to Liverpool broke down last week. Friedel failed for the fourth time to get a work permit from the British government but Rangers still believe they might be successful even though the same rules apply in this country. The Scottish PFA confirmed that they are unlikely to oppose a work permit application for Friedel and that may sway the Department of Employment in Rangers' favour. Liverpool are ready to go to the High Court to appeal the DoE's decision and Friedel will make up his mind after that is resolved. David Murray has issued a warning to lower league clubs who are holding the Premier sides to ransom over the league breakaway. He said, "the longer the current delays persist, the longer it will be before we finalise any commercial deals. This could threaten the revenues to the new league. In such circumstances the finance simply would not be available to meet the support package proposed. The time is fast approaching when the Premier clubs will be unable to offer a guarantee. The Premier clubs will be meeting today to consider their position and the status of the current one." "If there is no progress this week then the situation can only deteriorate. I will confirm again that the new league will happen. If this has to be achieved without the agreement of the smaller clubs then so be it. Such a situation, however, must threaten the proposed support package. If, for any reason, the support package is not available to the smaller clubs, how will they fare then? Could they continue to operate? How could they generate additional revenue?"
Walter Smith was disappointed that his team let St Johnstone back into the game on Saturday twice after taking two goal leads. He said, "this was a game we made heavy weather of after going into a two goal lead on two occasions. We allowed St Johnstone back in and they made the most of it which made for a nervy final few minutes." St Johnstone boss Paul Sturrock said, "Rangers are just so clinical in their finishing. Our 'keeper didn't have a save to make, yet he was still left to pick the ball out of the net three times. However, we are certainly moving in the right direction and we're buckling down and keeping our shape and organisation. Mind you, we really did shoot ourselves in the foot by not making more of the opportunities we created." Celtic won the Coca Cola Cup yesterday with a 3-0 victory over Dundee United at Ibrox. Their first two goals came in a four minute spell midway through the first half and Scotland international Craig Burley added a third on the hour mark. It was only Celtic's second League Cup win in the past 16 years.
Rangers have more injury worries over Brian Laudrup. The Dane limped off with a recurrence of the hamstring injury which has kept him out in recent weeks after only 26 minutes yesterday. Laudrup may now be missing until after Christmas. Walter Smith said, "Brian is a concern because he trained every day this week and we felt everything was fine with him. But it's the same thing and I simply don't know how long he will be out. Sergio Porrini also suffered a thigh strain and Jorg Albertz went off with a badly swollen ankle but both should be okay for next Sunday." Alex Cleland is a target for English first division side Nottingham Forest. They have been searching for a new right back for months and boss Dave Bassett has switched his attention to Cleland after hearing rave reviews in recent weeks. Cleland is out of contract next summer and Rangers may be keen to cash in now rather that lose out on an estimated £1 million if he leaves in June. Walter Smith is to begin re-signing talks with several Rangers players in the coming weeks. Andy Goram, Ally McCoist, Stephen Wright, Derek McInnes, Gordan Petric and Ian Durrant's current deals all expire in the summer. Smith said, "it will be strange to talk to these players about new deals even though I will be leaving but I'll do it in the club's best interests. Goalkeeper Antti Niemi will be out for a further two weeks after undergoing another operation on his injured finger this week. It is the third operation the Finnish goalkeeper has had since breaking a finger on his left hand twice in the space of a month earlier this season. When Paul Gascoigne considered leaving Rangers earlier this season, the thought left him close to tears. He said, "I know there were some sides in England interested in me earlier in the season. But when I sat down and thought about telling Walter and Archie I admit I got a lump in my throat. I didn't like the thought of it and that's why I decided to stay. Walter was loyal to me and stood by me at the club and that meant a lot to me." "I could kick myself for some of the things I have done on and off the pitch during my career. I think maybe that is the reason I have not been given the captaincy of Rangers. If our captain's suspended, no-one has said 'go on, Paul, you can be captain for the game'. Or if the captain of England was suspended and there was an opportunity for me. Maybe if I hadn't done certain things I would've captained Rangers and England by now. I always thought when I was young that there could have been the chance to be captain of England, or captain of Rangers." "I want to enjoy my next few years and then have a break from football until I want to come back and hopefully be a coach or a manager. I wouldn't mind a crack at management. It would be fun. But I have done a few daft things in my career so I have to earn the respect of everybody, and I'll do that. There will be no problem with that. It is hard because I feel that I am trapped and my life is not my own." "I am getting straight and know what I am going to be doing. I just get a pen and paper and write down everything that I'm doing and just keep it. I get a bit of stick off the guys for doing it, but everything that I am going to do I'll write down and I'll have a look at it every other day so my mind is not elsewhere. In a match I know exactly what I'm doing. I was playing in games before and all of a sudden I would be thinking I've got to do this or that afterwards. Now I write things down, I concentrate on the game, then I look at the list to see what I have to do afterwards."
Don't be fooled by the scoreline, Rangers were poor - very poor. St Johnstone's play warranted at least a draw and the Ibrox side can count themselves fortunate to take all three points from this match. Rangers took the lead as early as the sixth minute but until that point St Johnstone looked the more dangerous side. Jorg Albertz sent a lovely precision pass into Rino Gattuso's path. The 19 year old dummied inside John McQuillan before sliding the ball past Alan Main. The game looked to be tied up three minutes before half time. Gordon Durie - who replaced the injured Brian Laudrup earlier in the half - found Albertz on the left. Again the German sent a wonderful inch perfect pass to find Marco Negri running through on the 'keeper. Negri skipped past Main but looked to have taken the ball too wide. In the end he simply steadied himself before slotting the ball home from the tightest of angles. A minute later the Perth side pulled one back. Richard Gough stepped up to tackle a St Johnstone midfielder and left his side short at the back. The ball broke to McQuillan who held off Bjorklund and crossed but Philip Scott's back-heel was brilliantly saved by Goram. Alan Preston was first to the loose ball and fired home from close range. On the hour mark Rangers extended their lead and again it was Albertz who was the provider. The German's inch perfect pass found Gascoigne at the edge of the area and he cleverly prodded in Negri who lifted the ball over Main to score his 29th goal of the season. Most of the fans expected Rangers to hold their two goal lead but the Ibrox side have Goram to thank for several stunning saves which kept them in the match. However, even he could do nothing about George O'Boyle's goal 18 minutes from time. Rangers got themselves into a bit of trouble in midfield and Scott stepped in to find O'Boyle in the box. The Irishman easily held off Bjorklund before lashing the ball just inside the right hand post. In the end Rangers held on for the victory but once again showed how susceptible they can be at the back. On most occasions they contrived to put pressure on themselves with poor defensive passing and by losing the ball in their own half when they should have been content to pass it around. Credit must go to the Perth side too. It was obviously their game plan to put pressure on Rangers defence when they were in possession and they did it very well. In short Rangers have a lot of work to do in the coming weeks without Gascoigne, and possibly Laudrup, if they are to retain their hopes of winning 10-in-a-row. Rangers Goram 7 McCall 6 Albertz 7 Porrini 5 Gough 6 Bjorklund 4 Thern 6 Gascoigne 5 Gattuso 9 Negri 7 Laudrup 3 Durie 5 (Sub) Stensaas 3 (Sub) Cleland 2 (Sub) Man of the Match: Rino Gattuso Falkirk Follower
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